Amakusa Shirō
Amakusa Shirō '''(天草 四郎, c. 1621? – February 28th, 1638), also known as '''Amakusa Shirō Tokisada (天草四郎時貞), led the Shimabara Rebellion, an uprising of Japanese Roman Catholics against the Shogunate. Appearance Shirou appears to be a tanned-skinned youth with white hair like silver tied into a ponytail and with dark ageless eyes. He was remarkably handsome, almost Bishonen fair and lacking in any sort of outward blemish. His clothing is a mixture of traditional samurai outfit with European influence. He wears a jinbaori style haori with Christianity crosses decorated on them. He wears a tradition umanori hakama with Shin guards which had cloth straps that were used to tie the Shin guards to the lower leg. He wears a collar shirt underneath his Kimono and a Cravat tied around his collar. He has an innocent, boyish face showing that he has yet to have aged past twenty years of age. History Shirō was the son of former Konishi clan retainer Masuda Jinbei (益田 甚兵衛?). He was born in modern-day Kami-Amakusa, Kumamoto in a Catholic family. At age 15, the boy was charismatic enough was known to his followers as "heaven's messenger." Unbeknownst to him he was part dragon and had been granted special gifts from infancy that he mistook as gifts from God, such as the powers of prophesy and healing. The Shimabara Rebellion The rulers of the land, the Matsukura clan had drastically raised the taxes causing famine and overtaxation to the people. This action forced the weak to fall in despair as they were unable to even resist. As they continued to be exploited, the people found salvation in Christianity, the words filled with love that couldn’t be defeated by starvation, poverty or despair. However the Matsukura clan tried to take even that from them. For them it was no longer exploitation but it was murder. The people were provoked and they rose up and revolted. They feared of having their right to live taken away overcame their fear of dying in battle. When he had enough of all the genocide against Christians and the mistreatment of peasants in the Shimabara area, Shiro led the defense of Hara Castle and defeated the strongest of the Shogunate attackers in a series of coordinated defensive surges. But, because the rebel force had no logistical support, their morale was seriously weakened in the following days. Shiro displayed posters in the castle in an attempt to enhance the morale of rebel force, saying "Now, those who accompany me in being besieged in this castle, will be my friends unto the next world." A rebel soldier, Yamada Uemonsaku, betrayed Shiro and notified the Shogunate of the truth that rebel food supplies were becoming strained. The Shogunate forces led by Yagyu Jubei himself performed a final assault, taking Hara Castle in the process. In the month of February in the year 1638 and on the sixteenth day Jubei confronted Shiro. Shiro asked Jubei to show mercy to the women, children and elderly huddle in fear inside of the castle, if he committed seppuku. Despite knowing that there would be protest to him lending his sword to defend and protect Shiro’s followers Jubei agreed. However Shiro was stopped by the arrival of Shiro’s advisor Soiyuku Mora who duped him into believing that Jubei had murdered his children. Shiro had been infected with tainted blood to corrupt the divinity within him so that he would transform into a monster at the moment when his hatred overcame the good that lay within him. Jubei was not so dismayed at being falsely accused of a murder that he knew himself blameless for that he failed to sense his peril in time to evade it. In the ensuring battle between the fast-moving Ninja and the monstrosity that had replaced the Lord Amakuza. Jubei proved victorious. Unfortunately Shiro’s followers were all tainted by Genocide so had to be purged as there was no time to exorcise them. Jubei himself did the deed as it was the only way he could honor his agreement. Category:Continuum-59343921